NFLPA files new brief in collusion case

The NFL season kicks off on September 5. The next day, the collusion case filed during the offseason takes center stage in federal court in Minneapolis.

The NFLPA has released a statement announcing that, on Thursday, the players filed a brief in response to the NFL’s effort to defeat the collusion case by focusing not on the merits of the claim but the timeliness of the filing. Put as simply as possible, the NFL contends that the collusion claims were waived; the NFLPA understandably and predictably claims they weren’t.

The collusion claim was sparked by the cap penalties imposed by the NFL on the Redskins and Cowboys for violating the “spirit” of the salary cap in 2010.

“In its filing, the NFLPA informed the Court that in March 2012, once the NFL and Owners believed they were in the clear, they imposed punishments on two teams — the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys — that failed to fully honor the Owners illegal conspiracy to collude during the uncapped 2010 season,” the NFLPA says. “Public comments by Owners in March 2012 about those punishments exposed what had been, until then, a carefully concealed agreement to violate the White Stipulation and Settlement Agreement. But now, confronted with a damages claim for their admitted conspiracy, the Owners desperately seek to find some legal argument to shield them from redress for the willful violations of the anti-collusion provisions of the Reggie White antitrust settlement agreement.”

The NFLPA offers no details in the statement regarding its response to the arguments made by the NFL (specifically, that the new CBA waived all possible collusion claims and even if it didn’t the NFLPA should have filed the collusion claim much earlier). The NFLPA also doesn’t explain how the brief deals with the biggest question presented by this collusion claim: Why did the NFLPA agree to allow the NFL to impose the cap penalties in the first place?

We’re in the process of tracking down the brief, and later today we’ll put together an explanation that has a good chance of causing you to wake up at your desk in a puddle of drool that contains small bits of Cheetos.

6 responses to “NFLPA files new brief in collusion case”

I never realized how good the regular refs are at their job until now. These replacement refs are terrible. They slow the game down a ton.

I’ve seen the regular refs call the wrong number before. But never calling the number of a player who doesnt even play on the unit on the field, three times, in one game. Holy smokes that’s embarrassing.

We’re in the process of tracking down the brief, and later today we’ll put together an explanation that has a good chance of causing you to wake up at your desk in a puddle of drool that contains small bits of Cheetos.

The NFLPA has become the child who goes crying to mom whenever something doesn’t go their way. Don’t like the terms of the CBA they negotiated? They go running for help from a judge. Don’t like the terms of a settlement agreement they signed? They go running for help from a judge. Don’t like the ramifications of sanctions they were consulted on and agreed to? They go running for help from a judge.

The players seem to have lost sight of the fact the NFL is not pee wee, high school or even college football. It’s the real world and, just like everyone else in all other occupations, the world owes them nothing.

The players are active participants in a multi-billion dollar business. They get paid more money in their short careers than virtually everyone else on the planet.

In their line of business, they’re dealing with very savvy, experienced and accomplished business people. Most of whom have been owners in the NFL longer than the players have played in the league; and some longer than the players have been alive.

Just because something doesn’t go the way the players want doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been wronged. Welcome to being an adult. Crying to the media and the court system over ever perceived transgression is a terrible way to try and function in society.

Goodell and the league are not the monsters as many claim. They’re just far more experienced at running incredibly successful businesses. The NFLPA and its members should try tackling them head on instead of continually crying to mom for help.

The NFLPA leadership is a joke right now, but I don’t think that will hurt them too much more in this (because honestly, the on way it gets worse is if they get fired).

I’m pretty sure that the owners couldn’t legally put in an article to the CBA that would cover them on collusion, when they actually colluded. And if the PA actually let it happen- and now can’t do anything about it- they should get rid of Smith ASAFP